Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) is a Microsoftname resolution service, introduced in 1994 withWindows NT 3.5, for translatingNetBIOS names toIP addresses. NetBIOS names are an older naming convention used for local name resolution beforeDNS became ubiquitous. WINS is mostly unnecessary for modern networks unless legacy systems require it. The rise of DNS, especially through Microsoft'sActive Directory service's DNS support, made WINS effectively obsolete by the mid-2000s. Microsoft documentation advises not to use WINS on networks not requiring it.[1]
WINS isMicrosoft's implementation of theNetBIOS Name Service (NBNS), a name server and service for NetBIOS computer names. Effectively, WINS is to NetBIOS names what DNS is todomain names — a central mapping of host names to network addresses. Like the DNS, it is implemented in two parts, a server service (that manages theembedded Jet Database, server to server replication, service requests, and conflicts) and aTCP/IP client component which manages the client's registration and renewal of names, and takes care of queries.
On November 21st, 2025, Microsoft Announced that Server 2025 will be the last release to support WINS.[2]
 | ThisMicrosoft Windows article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
